Switzerland votes on proposal to cap population at 10m
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Switzerland voted on Sunday on whether to back a proposal to cap the country’s population in a referendum likened to Britain’s Brexit vote, which could have far-reaching consequences for the economy and Bern’s relations with the European Union. Driven by concern about immigration, pressure on public services and housing, the constitutional change pitched by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, or SVP, would mandate that the population must not exceed 10 million by 2050. Official projections put it on track to do so by the early 2040s. The unprecedented scheme to dictate population levels by law sits alongside burgeoning efforts by the political right in Europe to set tougher curbs on immigration, fed by discontent about the cost of living, weak economic growth and crime. “If it goes above 10m, it will become tight, and immigration should be restricted,” said Helen Gulea, a 58-year-old seamstress and part-time kiosk worker in Zurich, originally from Kenya, who voted by post for the cap. Signs stand in front of a building, on the day of the vote on a plan backed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to limit population growth to 10 million inhabitants, in Appenzell, Switzerland, June 14. — Reuters Results of the vote are expected to begin coming in from around midday (3pm PKT). If the proposal were adopted, reaching the 10m mark would trigger a process that could make Switzerland scrap its free movement of labour agreement with the EU, whose member states supply much of the Alpine country’s workforce. Switzerland’s ageing population is already above 9m and polls suggest public opinion is finely balanced. A final survey this month showed opinion turning against the proposal. An earlier poll had suggested it could pass. Patrick Leisibach, a migration expert at the think tank Avenir Suisse, said concern was now widespread that overcrowding was stretching public infrastructure to the limit. “There’s a traditional anti-immigration vote on the right wing, but